For the first time, the MCU has properly explored the seas, courtesy of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Thanks to the introduction of Namor, audiences have gotten to see and understand the underwater kingdom of Talokan (renamed from Atlantis).
In Marvel Comics, there are many more underwater territories, many of which are tied to Atlantis. Most of these territories are also structured as cities rather than kingdoms as the case with Atlantis/ Talokan. Among these cities, some have featured more prominently in storylines than others, but thanks to franchises like Namor, Black Panther, and the Fantastic Four, Marvel houses plenty of iconic underwater locations.
10/10 Maritanis
First appearance – Marvel Mystery Comics #82: Story by Stan Lee/ Art by Jimmy Thompson and Bob Powell
Maritanis is introduced early in the comics to be one of the many underwater colonies that are far away from Atlantis but are still under its jurisdiction. There’s also an Earth-9966 version of the city that’s ruled by Namora.
Among the impressive things about Maritanis is that it’s a city that never falls. Even when a nuclear attack happens in 1961, Maritanis remains intact. It isn’t an idle city either as it turns out to be an ideal new home when one of Marvel’s most powerful sorcerers, Morgan Le Fay, destroys Atlantis.
9/10 Deluvia
First appearance – Alpha Flight #40: Story by Bill Mantlo/ Art by David Ross/ Letters Jim Novak
When Atlantis gets conquered once again, Namor retreats to his lair, Sub-Mariner’s Domed Undersea Villa, off the Brazilian coast. Atlanteans loyal to him then join him and build the City of Deluvia around the villa.
As formidable as Namor is, he has lost his kingdom a couple of times but what’s laudable about him is that he has always been good at starting from scratch. He proves this once again by setting up a city that’s even prettier than Atlantis. More good also comes out of Namor’s time in exile as he also gets to be a part of what is arguably one of Marvel’s best love stories, when he marries Marrina in the new city.
8/10 Ichor
First appearance – Secret Warriors #2: Story by Brian Michael Bendis and Jonathan Hickman/ Art by Stefano Caselli and Daniele Rudoni/ Letters by Dave Lanphear
As one of the most evil comic organizations, Hydra has spread its wings all over the world. Among its key secret bases is the underwater city of Ichor.
Among the things that make a city great is size and with a population of 15000 agents, Ichor is way bigger than Atlantis, which houses 12000 Atlanteans. There is a Bond-like feel to it since the villain Baron Strucker also uses it as his lair from time to time. The only bad thing about Ichor is its poor defense system. Ideally, such a city shouldn’t be easily located but during the Skrull invasion many Skrulls easily get in, forcing Strucker to activate the self-destruct system and kill even his own henchmen.
7/10 Sestanivor
First appearance – Ultimate Fantastic Four #56: Story by Mike Carey/ Art by Eric Basaldua/ Letters by Rus Wooton
Though located far away from Atlantis, the underwater city is a part of Namor’s kingdom, often used as an embassy for dealings with Lemuria residents. Its architectural structure is also similar to Atlantis.
There’s no shortage of impressive things about Sestanivor. First, the city shows the considerate side of the Atlanteans. Because it’s an embassy, it has oxygen rooms so that any land dwellers that visit can be able to breathe. And thanks to the cool defense system consisting of telepathic beacons, predators always have a hard time getting in. There is a museum aspect to Sestanivor too since it houses the remains of Tan-Ed-Drul, the species that once led to the fall of Atlantis.
6/10 Skarka
First appearance – Fantastic Four #33: Story by Stan Lee/ Art by Jack Kirby and Chic Stone/ Letters by Artie Simek
After the Homo mermanus race of Skarka gets exiled from Atlantis, members build a new city. They then name it after themselves.
Skarka has turned out to be an important city in Marvel Comics because it always acts as a launch pad for attacks on Atlantis by one of Namor’s greatest aquatic enemies, Attuma. Though most of these attacks are always unsuccessful, it’s always fun to see Attuma try. The battles that take place are always entertaining too.
5/10 Apelantis
First appearance – Weirdworld #1: Story by Jason Aaron/ Art by Michael Del Mundo/ Letters by Cory Petit
Apelantis is part of Weirdworld, one of the many Battleworld domains that spawned during the Secret Wars event. It’s ruled by the baroness, Queen Le Fay. Like Ichor, Apelantis is a distinctive underwater city because its inhabitants aren’t members of any aquatic species.
Instead, it’s populated by slave-trading apes who wear underwater suits to survive. It’s a scenario that reminds fans of the Planet of the Apes franchise but the fact that these apes strictly choose to live in the ocean makes them even cooler.
4/10 Hydropolis
First appearance – Namor the Sub-Mariner #46: Story by Glenn Herdling/ Art by Geof Isherwood/ Letters by Michael Higgins
The city is located right under the oceanography research base known as the Hydrobase. It’s used as a temporary operational base by many marvel characters before it eventually gets destroyed.
Hydropolis getting shut down was always an expected outcome since it was revealed that it cost $100,000 an hour to operate. That’s because of the various forms of technology present. Despite it being an impressive city, it also made no sense for Namor to stay there for long because he had another home. For that reason, the decision to write the city out of the comics was a logical one.
3/10 Lemuria
First appearance – Ultimate FF#2: Story by Joshua Hale Fialkov/ Art by Tom Grummett/ Letters by Joe Sabino
Located 500 miles away from the Marian trench, Lemuria is named after the ancient city state that trades with Atlantis. It’s owned by a group of billionaires known as the Kratos Club.
Tony Stark’s name rarely misses whenever the rich are mentioned and the tech billionaire is actually the reason that Lemuria has become prominent in Marvel Comics. Since he used to be a Kratos Club associate, he is often forced to help whenever the city gets attacked. This has led to some of the best storylines involving him and Namor.
2/10 Mu
First appearance – Namora #1: Story, art and letters by Bill Everett
Mu is one of the surface lands that sink during the Great Cataclysm. The humans who survive build a dome around the city, protecting it from the ocean waters.
The city might have been forgotten lately, but it played a big part in the Golden Age of comics, where World War II stories were common. Marvel’s tendency to blend real-life with fiction resulted in Mu residents staging an attack on Pearl Harbor. After the defeat, the city has mostly remained peaceful.
1/10 Dry Man’s Land
First appearance – Namor: Conquered Shores #1: Story by Christopher Cantwell/ Art by Pasqual Ferry and Matt Hollingsworth/ Letters by Joe Caramagna
Among the newest underwater cities is Dry Man’s Land. Namor creates it to host humans after the Kree cause most of the surface land to be uninhabitable.
Through Dry Man’s Land, readers get to see a nicer sad of Namor, who is known for having no empathy. Watching him tend to humans and make sure there’s enough oxygen is heartwarming. Sadly, the humans end up suffering, lacking food and water, after Namor steps down as ruler.
